Assig-nob to the libbey-owesjs  sheet



Jan. 10, 1928.

J. P. CROWLEY WIRE GLASS MACHINE Filed Feb. 21, 1925 mib-T.

- INVE N T UH doce/2b P Crow/ey.

L NEY.'

Patented llly -OW'ENS SHEET frpploation 'filed February f lflie present invention relates to sheet glass apparatus, and has particu lar re terencelto an apparatus itor producingl a. sheet having.; a wire inesh enihedded therein.

in important object ol' the invention to provide a sheet glass apparatus wherein a quantity ot glass is deposited upon a rotatahle drinn in :L inanner that a sheet inay he rolled thereglfroni, and includes ineans for 'feeding` a wire iahric into said sheet.

A further object oit the invention is to provide an apparatus Yfor producing sheet-glass wherein a plurality et streams et molten glass are flowed upon a rotatable druni to produce a divided sheet source, and includes ineans it'or feeding4 a wire tahric oet-Ween the sheet source so tl at a sheet can he rolled lroni said inolten glass and having),` Vwire ted therein to give a. sheet olf glass reintorced hy a wire fabric.

Eltill another obj ect of the invention is to provide an apparatus .tor producing sheet glass wherein` a ,Jh-eet is rolled troni a queptity of molten glass sitter which a wire raoric is positioned thereon, and then second sheet is rolled upon the l'irst to prodnce an integral sheet having a reintorcine' wire einvded therein. I l

@ther olojects` and advantages oit the in vention will hecoine ai'iparentduiing;` the court-ze oi' the following description.

ln the drawings wherein lille nuinerals are en'iipiloyed to designate lile parts throughout the saine.

his'. 'l is a fragmentary vertical longitudih nal section through a portion of' 'he appaia tus enihodying niy invention, and l Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section there-- through showing` iny :improved construction :in elevation.

ln the drawing' wherein iter the pnrposi-s oi illustration is shown the preterr l einhedinient ot the invention, tl'ie nuineral 5 designates a tank 'furnace oil? any conventional vpe having,l a mass oli molten glass (i therein'whicli is heine ted toward the discharite end T et the tank 5. rl`he working end 8 is Lprovided with a plurality ot discharge slot-s 9 which are preferably narrow elongated orilices tor-ined in the bottoni ot the working end. rthe flow of glass toward the working` end is controlled hy a shear-calre or the like l() adjustable through the ineens ll.

rl`he discharge slots S) may he olf any desired shape or conliguration, and are 'shown Serial lilo. l.0,72.

as being' coirtrolled hy -the slahs l2 which niay he nioved to and troni the openings to control the ilow of glass theretlirough.

Arranged helow the discharge openings 9 is a rotatable drinn i3 carried hy the shaft ll which is supported in the journals 15. 'lhe shalt lsfand druin are positively driven as hy the inechanisni lli connected to the shaft Ils/t. The druni is preferably torined troni a noncorrosive inetal alloy and is :Ldapted to he internally cooled to prevent overheating' trein the inolt-en glass which is deposited thereon during the'forination of the sheet. 'llo produce a smooth sheet the onter suri'iice oitl the drum inay he highly polished.

its is clearly shown in Fig. l the glass passing thronnh the discharge slots 9 is received upon the outer surface ot the rotatahlo druni lit yl`he streain nearest the tank 5 is deposited upon the drinn near the tank thereol'1 and to prevent the glass inass 17 trein following` the direction opposite to the direction ot rotation a slah 18 is provided. rllhe druni is rotated in the direction of the arrow, and a sheet lll is lorined hotween the drinn and roll Q0. rlflie roll 2O is adjustahly i'nouiited to determine the thickness of the sheet 19 heilig; torined. Alter the sheet 19 has been rolled troni the mass 17 it passes under a second roll 2l which feeds a wire mesh 22 from the source of supply 28 carried upon the shalt rllhe wire niesh or fabric pressed or rolled upon the top snrtarc ol the sheet ll), aiter which the sheet if) and wire iahric 22 passed under the second supply hody where a second sheet Q6 is nn in teggjral structure is then drawn trono the rotatable druni i3 and passed through an annealing' leer Q9, the said sheet heing support- 'ed upon suitable rolls 3l). 'llhe sheet may he pressed or rolled to a dat, smooth and unitorin thickness hy ineans oit the supplementary roll 3l arranged ahove one of the leer rolls 80.

is shown in Fig. l, the druni 13 is arranged in a chainher o2 which inay he heated as desired to prevent the glass dischargingthrough the slots 9 troni becoming' too viscous. lt is desirable that the glass reniain in a plastic or semi-plastic condition until after the second sheet 2G has heen formed upon the lirst sheet 19 and wire 22. By maintaining' the glass at a plastic or semi-plastic condition ti l) it is possible to produce an integral structure of glass having a Wire mesh embedded therein.,

Due to the manner in which the sheet 28 is formed, namely,\by rolling a sheet of glass from a source of molten glass, pressing` a Wire fabric thereon, and then rolling a second sheet upon the first, it is possibleto produce Y contactl With the said rolls.

l If it is desired to `produce an opaque or ribbed Wire glass, the surface of the drum 13 and rol'l- '27 can be formed accordingly.

rlhus if itis desired to produeea ribbed sheet l the drum and roll be corrugated to give the desired effect. Q p To proteetthe Wire fabrie 22 before 1t is 'fed into the sheet it is passed through a slot 33 Whichis formed by refractory blocks through the Working end 8. As is shown in 2, the glass passes around the structure 33,V through 'the `channels 34; at both sides thereof, thus advancing a sufficient supply of glass toward the forwardmost discharge i orifice 9.

It isr to be understood `that the formof themvention herewith shown and described is Ito.V beftalen as' the preferred embodiment of the s`am`e,vand that Various Changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may Vbe resorted to Without departing from the spirit of the inventiensor the scope of the subjoined claims.

l claim:

y l. In sheet glass apparatus, a. rotatable member, means forflowing' a plurality of streams of molten glass thereon, and means for 'drawing a sheet therefrom.

Q. In sheetiglass apparatus, a rotatable member, means for flowing; a plurality'of streams of molten `glass thereon, meansy for interposing affabric between said streams,

, `and means vfor drawing a sheet of glass therefrom.

3. VIn sheet apparatus, a rotatable` member, means for flowing a plurality of streams of vvmoltenglass thereon, and means for rolling the glass into sheet form.

4. Insheet glass apparatus, a rotatable member, means for flowing a plurality of Leer-reas streams of molten glass thereon to form a divided sheet source, means for forming a sheet and drawing it from said rotatable member, and means for feeding,- a fabric between the said .streams and into the sheet being' formed.

5. in sheet glass apparatus, a rotatable member, means for flowing a plurality of streams of molten glass thereon, means for formingI a sheet therefrom, and means for fiattening said sheet.

G. .ln sheet glass apparatus, a rotatable member, means for flowing a plurality of streams of molten glass thereon, means for forming; a sheet therefrom, and means for rolling,- the sheet after it has been removed from said rotatable member.

7. ln sheet glass apparatus, a rotatable member, means for flowing a plurality of streams of molten glass thereon, means for forming a sheet therefrom, an annealing leer through which the sheet passes, and sheet flattening means arranged in said leer.

8. ln sheet glass apparatus, a rotatable member, means for flowing a plurality of streams of molten glass thereon, means for formingg` a sheet therefrom, an annealingl leer ineludinp` supporting meansk for the sheet as it passes through said leer, and means eoopei'ating with the supporting,` means for flattening the said sheet of glass.

9. ln sheet glass apparatus, a rotatable member, means for flowing` a plu `ality of streams of molten `glass thereon, means for forming a sheet therefrom, an annealing` leer for said sheet, and a pair of rolls in said leer for flattening` the sheet of glass as it passes therethrough.

l0. ln sheet glass apparatus, a rotatable member, means for fiowing a plurality of streams of molten glass thereon, means for forming a` sheet therefrom, an annealing; leer for said sheet, and a pair of rolls arranged in the hot end of said leer for flatteningl the sheet of glass as it passes therethrough.

ll. ln sheet `glass apparatus, a rotatable member, means for dowing: a plurality of streams of molten glass thereon, and a plu rality of rotatable means associated with said rotatable member for reducing` the streams of glass rto sheet. form.

Signed at Toledo, in the county of liuas and State of Ohio, this 18th day of lielu'uary, 1925.

JOSEPH P. CROWLEY. 

